Latest news with #orangechips
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Allardyce has had his chips in Dudley - and Big Sam loves it
Former England manager Sam Allardyce says he loves the giant mural of him eating chips that has mysteriously appeared in his home town of despite the ex West Brom boss's fondness for the 10ft image - added to a wall on Union Street - he says he can't shed any light on what remains for now a painted if the Black Country is telling Banksy to move over, and there's a new urban paintbrush guerrilla on the loose - Chipsy anyone? - Allardyce doesn't seem to he has shared some ideas on why he might be linked to the takeaway staple - and a particularly orange batch at that. And it's all to do with those Dudley roots. The mural appearing last week depicts him in a suit and tie, perhaps deep in thought over formations, and using his fingers to eat straight from the paper - none of your fork, fork, two."The only thing I can think," he told BBC Radio WM, "is in my day down in Dudley when I lived there, the local fish and chips shop did battered chips and that might create the orange chips that [the artist has] put on it."Now, if that's the case, he's gone really deep on my time in Dudley. He's got that right, or he's just got the chips a rather orange colour, who knows?"The regional delicacy of orange chips are thought to be dipped in a batter with turmeric or paprika added to give them a hue roughly the same as the Netherlands' home kit. Stating the artwork had nothing to do with him, Allardyce said he thought the artist had captured a good likeness of him."Obviously I thought it was a very good likeness whoever's created it, and I must admit, it's very, very good in terms of likeness."When they said it was 10ft tall, that's some piece of work isn't it?" added Allardye, who was brought up on Old Park Farm estate in the impressed was the former boss of clubs also including Blackpool, Notts County, Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham and Sunderland, he said he would like to meet the mystery artist, if their identity was ever revealed. "If somebody says who did it and they want to meet up then maybe I can get down and have a chat with them," he told the BBC. "They must be a fan I think?"And others seem to be similarly intrigued."I've not had as many messages since I was managing last time," Allardyce said, his phone livelier than transfer deadline said he had no family remaining in the area but happily remembered playing football on a field on his estate which is where he "learnt my trade in the old days".Now working on a podcast, he said if he was to return to management and it was in the West Midlands, he would pick Wolverhampton Wanderers as he had always been a fan. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Mysterious' Sam Allardyce mural appears in Dudley
A 10ft mural of former England and West Bromwich Albion manager Sam Allardyce has appeared in Dudley. The artwork, depicting the former Premier League boss eating orange chips, a Black Country classic, is believed to have been pasted onto a wall in Union Street on grew up in Dudley and locals have suggested the area could now have its own Banksy. Resident Scot Simmons said: "How did he do it without anyone seeing? Did he just put it up in a couple of minutes? Is he trying to remain mysterious?" Fellow Dudley resident Andy Smith said: "Local lad eating orange chips, what more do you want? "There is a genuine Banksy in Birmingham, perhaps this is Dudley's answer to Banksy."Mr Simmons added: "Looking at it you don't know how good it is till you come down and see it."It's put Dudley on the map. Big Sam, immortalised here, yeah it's brilliant." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
